Fort Hays State University and Emporia State University partnered with high-needs rural school districts to develop and offer a three-year professional development institute. The statewide institute was planned collaboratively to specifically meet the needs of middle school science teachers. The institute was managed concurrently at the two sites…

In order to help middle school students understand the many aspects that go into making decisions about environmental issues and concerns, as well as identifying the players involved in these decisions, an environmental town meeting activity was developed by the author. It includes opportunities to learn how the viewpoints of environmental…

Most middle school science teachers are familiar with the idea of reading and writing across the curriculum. We, as science teachers, understand that our students need time, practice, and lots of encouragement in order to learn how to read and write well. What we also need to remember, however, is that learning how to read and write in science is…

Though it may seem that classroom management comes naturally to some teachers, upon closer examination you'll probably discover that preparation and adaptation are more important than any innate ability when it comes to successful classroom management. Any experienced middle school science teacher can tell you that successful classroom management…

As teachers, we try to make subjects applicable to students' lives. A topic that extends well beyond the classroom and any single discipline is the physical properties of symmetry found in architecture. Few curriculum programs, however, have implemented a detailed study of symmetry for students to develop geometric thinking before middle school.…

Proportionality should be a central focus of the middle-grades science and mathematics curricula and concepts such as density can be introduced and taught in both disciplines, highlighting for students the connections between science and mathematics. This month's column describes how teachers can utilize the "The Atlas of Science Literacy" and…

Biobottles are miniature ecosystems made from 2-liter plastic soda bottles. They allow students to explore how organisms in an ecosystem are connected to each other, examine how biotic and abiotic factors influence plant and animal growth and development, and discover how important biodiversity is to an ecosystem. This activity was inspired by an…

When students enter the classroom, they often hold prior knowledge or conceptions about the natural world. These conceptions will influence how they come to understand what they are taught in school. Some of their existing knowledge provides good foundation for formal schooling, but other prior conceptions, however, are incompatible with currently…

When teachers ask their students to read something in class, they often encounter students who just wait for everyone else to finish reading before they do. These type of students are the ones most likely to dislike reading and they are just content to wait it out. Teachers may counteract this by requiring students to answer questions in writing…

All too often middle school students equate density with one object simply being "heavier" than another. Even if students are able to accurately calculate the density of an object, that doesn't necessarily mean that they fully understand the concept of density as the ratio of mass to volume. To help change this misconception and more fully…

Middle school students can be apprehensive toward the subject of science because, "we give them the message that science is the most important of subjects" (Flannery 1993). Why not consider using humor proactively as an effective teaching resource in the science classroom? The use of appropriate content-related humor can initiate and liberate…

Students are concerned about what happens to the animals in the aftermath of natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunami. They have remarkable compassion for animals. Students want to know if dolphins, manatees, and sea turtles survive. Furthermore, they want to know what they can do to help. Hence, a variety of teachable…

In 1897, long before the entertainment industry made Nashville famous with country music and the Grand Ole Opry, the city was known as the "Athens of the South," with numerous institutions of higher learning. A century later, four of Nashville's oldest universities have united to promote science education in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools…

Inspiring students to learn about birds can be a daunting task--students see birds just about every day and often don't think twice about them. The activity described here is designed to excite students to "become" birds. Students are asked to create a model and tell the life story of a bird by mapping its migration pattern. (Contains 6 figures, 6…

Biotechnology is a fairly new concept for middle school students as well as teachers. If the latest craze of TV shows focused on crime scene investigation events were not so popular, the term and concept might be even obscure to the public. There is an increased presence of biotechnology in our daily surroundings that makes it practical and…